Day 60-76, Kurrajong- Coral Bay- Carnavon-Denham-Kalbarri- Perth- Kalgoorlie

Day 60 – 31^st August - Saturday- Kurrajong- Exmouth- Coral Bay

We departed Kurrajong fairly early, although we had to wait a little as it had rained (can’t believe it) overnight. We’d had a great time at Kurrajong but it was time to leave. We had to drop into Exmouth to resupply, which took about an hour and a half as we’d certainly drained the cupboards dry.

We then headed to Coral Bay, trying to get there at a reasonable time as we had a date with the Ellis family to watch the last game of the season Richmond against Essendon. We listened to the Saints on the way, actually winning their last game against the half team of the Dockers.

 After arriving in beautiful Coral Bay we set up, shortly after we had the Ellis, Bean and Atkin kids on the doorstep wanting to catch up with our kids, so that was the end of being with the kids that day. We then organised ourselves to go to the resort pub to watch the footy game, and it was worth it the tigers having a good win- never mind Corbin, Lachie and Darcy, at least Julie enjoyed the game with the Bean’s and the Snell’s and even the Atkin’s came along to support the tigers!

After the game we headed back to the Bean’s for drinks with the Ellis’s, Atkin’s and Bean’s whilke the kids watched a movie. A very enjoyable night for all, with many laughs!!!

Day 61 – 1^st September - Sunday- Coral Bay

Happy Father’s Day Vin! Leanne and the kids organised for the family to do the glass bottom boat tour, which included some snorkelling. Kim had also booked for the Bean’s to do the same thing. As much as Vin is always appreciative of gifts, when asked by the kids the day before about the tour (secretly), he indicated he didn’t really want to do it, that he’d prefer to do the quad bikes. After morning bacon and eggs which Vin cooked (we wanted it done properly!), we rushed on down to the departure point for our tour at 10am.

We headed off across the coral which was amazing- realising that this stuff on the bottom of the ocean was so prevalent and so important to the ocean world. The kids were amazed and so were we, the driver even had to avoid some coral on the way out as it was so shallow. About a half an hour in we had our first snorkel at a clear water section just on the outskirts of a whole lot of coral reef. It was fairly deep so Riley wasn’t keen to snorkel so actually helped throw in some food. Leanne, Vin and Abbey had a snorkel which was quite good, especially when the tour lady and Riley fed the large Spangled Emperor out the back of the boat. This was quite amazing as these large creatures came in among other fish and had a feed, although this was a little overwhelming for Leanne as she wanted to board the boat again. Leanne actually got the lady to feed them to the side of the boat so she didn’t have to swim through these fish to board the boat again. After about half an hour snorkelling we ventured to our next destination which was about 20 minutes away.

Vin and Abbey snorkelling.

The large fish around the boat.

Vin the big fish under the boat.

With the Bean's on the boat.

 

The next snorkelling spot was even better as it was shallower, the variation in coral and fish species was quite amazing. Vin was like a fish, not wanting to get out until the last minute possible, he certainly was enjoying his father’s day present. The rest of the family enjoyed it very much as well.

We then went back to the Bayview Caravan Park with the Bean’s to veg out at the pool. After a few hours of swimming around there Vin headed back to our caravan park to try and have a nanna nap while Leanne and Abbey went to fish feeding and Riley went fishing with the Bean’s.

Later that evening after dinner we dropped at Ellis’s for the kids to watch a movie while the adults enjoyed some after dinner drinks. Fred and Leanne encouraged Vin to perform his rendition of Footloose where he unfortunately sprained his ankle. I think Vin’s footloose dancing days are over, at least he’s got Riley to take over the mantle (who actually danced with him on the night).

Day 62 – 2^nd September - Monday- Coral Bay

A relaxed morning, especially for Vin as he had to elevate and ice his sore ankle!!! While Vin was doing this he saw it as a good opportunity to catch up on the blog. Abbey and Riley went to visit the other kids at their park. Today we had an early lunch as we were going on our Quad Bike Adventure with the Beans; we were really looking forward to this.

We met at the booking office just before 12pm as our tour was from 12pm to 3pm. We had to be decked out in our helmets and shoes before heading down to the bikes where we were given a quick rundown on how to operate the Quad bikes and then we were off!! Riley was the passenger on Vin’s bike, Abbey with Leanne, Will with his dad Cameron and Mitch with his mum Kim. Some of us were a little bit more conservative at driving initially than others, but we all got the hang of it fairly quickly.

After about an hour we stopped at a supposed awesome snorkelling spot called the Lagoon. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations, although there was several awesome fish/ sharks including a wobbegong and many other fish that we hadn’t seen before.  It was just too rough out there, particularly for the kids, but even for us adults who weren’t sure of the currents. When we were about to leave this spot we looked up into the dunes only to see the Ellis’s and Atkin’s stalking us!!! Still, off to the next venue we must go, which was called Oyster Bay.

It took about 20 minutes to get back to the next venue. It was fun along the way, coming across the other quad bike company who weren’t impressed with our driving skills (more to the point, that we were having some fun doing burn outs!), where they drove very slowly (even slower than Leanne)!!! When we arrived at Oyster Bay Kim got into trouble for doing burnouts on the beach (C’mon Kim you are suppose to leave that tin the dunes- although I know you were following Vin’s bad example)!!! Unfortunately again the snorkelling wasn’t very good as it was just too rough. The most awesome part was at the beginning we saw a turtle and then we followed it, so it freaked and swam out of there quicker than you’d imagine. After that we stayed there for about 40 mins, however the crashing of the waves over the rocks just made it too hard to see in the water properly.

We departed there with changing of quad bike partners, Vin- Abbey, Leanne-Riley, Cam- Mitch & Kim with Will. The Snell kids had changed at the previous stop no worries, however Will only changed at this top reluctantly. After about 15 minutes Will couldn’t cope with his Mum’s driving and so he swapped back with Mitch to his Dad. After this we had a really awesome experience of going down and then back up this awesome steep hill. We all loved it, particularly Leanne on the way back up (particularly pumped and happy with herself)!!! Unfortunately this part was also too much for Will, hence Kim and Will went around the other way to return. We ended up getting back 20 minutes late, because I think our guide Lorenzo was having a really good time!!!

Riley and Abbey posing on the quad bike.

Riley holding on for dear life with Leanne.

Mr cool Vin on his quad bike.

Leanne being very happy with herself after having done the big dipper!

 

 After a great day we decided we had to meet up at the Ellis’s that night to have farewell drinks for the Ellis’s and Bean’s as they were both taking off in the morning. We thought it may be our last time where we’d be all together so Fred brought out the cigars and Blue Label Scotch for all to enjoy. The ladies were quite subdued, however Fred, and particularly Vin and Corbin made a late night of it!!!

Typical night of the kids in the van playing around. (Ellis, ATkin, Snell and Bean kids).

Vin enjoying the blue label scotch.

A typical night for the parents sitting outside the van chatting.

Day 63 – 3^rd September - Tuesday- Coral Bay

Once we’d reluctantly woken up in the morning (Particularly Vin), we had to move sights to the other caravan park just down the road. This is when we’d realised the Beans had stayed an extra night just to party on again!!! Once we’d set up again at the new sight (next to Aitkin’s), we went down to the beach and went snorkelling.

We mostly just snorkelled at the main beach, before the ladies decided to do the drift snorkel, followed by the boys also doing the drift snorkel later on (after fish feed). Riley also involved himself in many other people’s games on the beach during the day – volleyball/ bocce.  After this we returned to the caravan park for the kids and parents to have a hit of tennis, before having an early night for all.

Day 64 – 4^th September - Wednesday- Coral Bay

A lazy morning just relaxing around the caravan park, however Riley was keen to have one last hit of tennis with Mitch before the Beans head off. Said good bye to the Beans again, but this time looks like it will be our last catch up as they need to back in Melbourne before us. We have loved catching up with the Beans and getting to know them better. We have enjoyed sharing many memorable moments with them.

After lunch we decided to walk along the beach to the Shark Nursery with the Atkins. It was about a 2km walk around the rocks to an inlet where baby sharks live until they are large enough to survive in the sea. You could walk into the water a few metres to get a really look at the many baby sharks swimming around. There were also stingrays hiding in the shallows of the sand. While we were there a group of people came along with their snorkel gear and went in and swam with the sharks! We thought they were rather game and there was a sign stating no swimming or snorkelling with the baby sharks as they can hurt you and also are interfering with their environment.

Hard to see baby reef sharks!

Fred and Vin braving it in the water where the reef sharks were.

 

 

 

On the walk back Abbey cut her foot on the rocks and went and told Vin who very casually said you’ll be right, without looking at her foot. As Abbey continued walking she noticed quite a lot of blood on her thongs and she noticed her foot was quite badly cut!!

When we arrived back to the caravan park Riley was book into have his first haircut of the holidays. We went to the only hairdressers in Coral Bay and she did a good job. Booked tennis again for this afternoon, this was very enjoyable. We had another relaxing evening with the Atkin’s.

Day 65 – 5^th September - Thursday- Coral Bay

Leanne started the day off with a run with Britt to the Jetty, it was a bit windy but good to get a run in when you can. Sadly this is our last day in Coral Bay; it is such a beautiful place.

Decided to go for a drive to the jetty to try and see ‘Merv’ the giant cod fish that hangs around there. This was the first time we have driven our car in Coral Bay as everything is in walking distance. Unfortunately when we were there Merv was nowhere to be seen. Although we did see many other fish and many crabs crawling around the rocks. It was very windy at the Jetty and Abbey’s hat flew off and Leanne was able to catch it before it went over the edge. After the Jetty we drove to Maude’s Landing which is a popular fishing spot. Vin was keen for final snorkel here and went to a spot that was recommended to him. The rest of us headed down for the fish feeding again, where Vin was going snorkel down to meet us. Abbey and Riley were more game today with getting closer to the fish and they both even plucked up the courage to let the fish swim between their legs! However, Leanne was still happy to stay at the back and be the photographer, while Vin was the King of the fish feeding!

Fish feeding time, where the fish swim between your legs.

We headed back to the park for a swim and then more tennis. We have really enjoyed our time at Coral Bay and will head off tomorrow morning looking forward to our next adventure, but sad to leave this great holiday destination.

Day 66 – 6^th September - Friday- Coral Bay- Carnarvon

We got off to an early get away thanks to the great team effort of packing up. We were heading to Carnarvon today with the Atkin’s. On the way we stopped at Quobba along the coast to see the blow holes. WOW this was amazing and definitely worth the stop!!! We took lots of photos and even got splashed at one stage while posing for a photo. The way the water spurted out of the holes in the rocks to make large fountains was amazing!!! It was fascinating to watch and we stayed here for quite a long time.

Braving it at the blowholes. We eventually did get a little wet. Amazing coastline there!

Back into the car and onto Carnarvon, this town is famous for its fishing and fresh produce. Unfortunately our day went downhill from here. Firstly Abbey unfortunately pressed a wrong button on the Ipad and accidently deleted her whole holiday Blog!!!!! Abbey had spent hours on typing her Blog and was very proud of what she had done and in one quick click it was GONE!!!! Then we finally got phone coverage which we were very excited about until the few messages that we received were all bad news: our sister in law Sandi had left a message to inform us her Dad had sadly passed away and then the next message was about the health of a very dear friend. So much for being excited about having phone reception!

Then when we arrived and were backing the van in onto the blocks (safety lock on van wasn’t down), our van came off and rolled into back of car. Then another brain melt down- took off from caravan park with extension chord connected to fridge through boot, so snapped extension chord! Anyway, off to the shops and looking forward to buying some of the great fresh produce that is available here. At one market place we bought some fresh fruit and veg and they also make pure fruit icy poles so we got a mango one, which was very tasty. We also bought some chocolate coated frozen strawberries. This place had so many yummy, healthy things. A quiet night watching the AFL finals with the Atkin’s, Fred hoping his Swannies can win against the Hawks, but unfortunately not!

Glad this day has ended, not quite sure what we had done to deserve this day. Looking forward to a new day tomorrow!

 Quite picturesque town of Carnarvon! Went for a short walk while kids played at play ground.

Day 67 – 7^th September - Saturday- Carnarvon- Denham

It was time to pack up and move on again. This was our first one night stop over since Halls Creek back in early August. Before leaving the town of Carnarvon, Leanne, Abbey and Riley went to the market while Vin to went to buy some fresh seafood. We then were on our way to Denham; it was about a 3 ½ hour drive. On our way into Denham we saw the Ocean Marine Park, which we had been told was really worth a visit. We decided to go to the Caravan Park first to set up quickly and then return to the Ocean Marine Park. As the children were really excited about going there it was our quickest set up for the entire trip (10 minutes)!

At the Ocean Marine Park they have a circuit you follow around with all different Marine creatures. The guide explains in great detail about each of the ocean creatures, which we found really fascinating. We saw the sharks being fed, sea snakes, stone fish, cat fish, a wobbegong, squid, and a large variety of different fish. Abbey’s favourite though was ‘Bob’ the Loggerhead Turtle.  We all learnt lots at the Ocean Park. We all loved watching the sharks being fed, especially ‘Sarah’ who was the most aggressive shark and ‘Linda’ the biggest shark.

Shark feeding time- awesome to watch.

Lion fish- beautiful but venomous!

Abbey's favourite Bob the loggerhead turtle (the same sort Vin saw at Turquoise Bay!

 

After leaving the Ocean Marine Park we decided to drive to Monkey Mia (26km) from Denham to see were we had to come tomorrow morning for the famous dolphin feeding. On the way to Denham we saw the Ellis driving the other way; we pulled over for a quick chat. They were staying in Denham for 1 more night at the same park as the Atkin’s and us.

Crumbed and cooked up our fish and calamari we bought in Carnarvon for dinner, it was really tasty! After dinner the children went to the Ellis’ van to watch a movie while the parents had a catch up at our place. We had a great night and a much more enjoyable day than yesterday!

Day 68 – 8^th September - Sunday- Denham

Excellent started to the day- went to Monkey Mia for feeding of dolphins. Sienna and Abbey both got to feed Nicky (absolute highlight for Abbey). Then we went 4WD at Cape Peron National Park which was certainly a bumpy ride for about 100km return, Vin just not quite understanding the need to slow down some times. The most exciting part of this trip was up at Cape Peron where we saw a Dugong- amazing!  

Abbey's highlight of feeding the dolphin.

Monkey Mia- a highlight for the kids.

Wildlife from our trip at Cape Peron- very funny chasing the ostrich in the car!

 

Came back to watch the footy at the pub, Richmond V Carlton- moved pubs from old pub as it was too cold and went to Harbour Side Pub where we had an exciting first half (Vin the pessimist could see the writing on the wall at half time though), only to be proved right in the second half. Riley was gutted!!! Very early night to bed after a long and exhilarating day! At least there is no more footy to worry about watching on our holiday. A very windy night was had by all- Leanne had a shocking night’s sleep.

Day 69 – 9^th September - Monday- Denham

A late morning wake up and a lazy morning for most, although Leanne went for a run with Fred and Britt.  Vin cooked a nice brunch with bacon and eggs before heading out to Shell Beach which was quite an amazing place with millions of shells, particularly heaps of little shells making a picturesque beach.  On our return we stopped at Eagle Bluff to enjoy the spectacular view of the coastline in addition to the amazing ocean life through the clear waters. Could easily spot the shovel nosed ray and many reef sharks below. We then went to the Little Lagoon where Vin thought he was a chance to snorkel, only to be disappointed as it was just too shallow. Beautiful Shell Beach!

 

We headed to the Homestead Springs where they had an Artesian Springs with a spa tub. We saw the Atkin’s leaving there who advised that it was stinking hot (40degrees) and you couldn’t stay in there long (5 minutes). Vin of course was first to try it and his reaction made us think that nobody else should bother going in (it was burning!). After a couple of minutes Vin was completely in and suggested to the others to be careful getting in. Everybody braved it; eventually we spent up to 20 minutes in there.

Enjoying the very hot tub!

A relaxing night with the Atkin’s again, fortunately it was a lot more pleasant night than the night before. Leanne even enjoyed a good nights sleep.

 

Day 70 – 10^th September - Tuesday- Denham- Kalbarri

9am departure for a few hour drive to Denham. Our tour guides the Ellis’ who were ahead of us advised us to stop at Ross Graham Gorge and Hawks Head Lookout in the Kalbarri National Park on the way into town. It was another beautiful looking gorge, so we ventured down in to see the rocks which had an abundance of beautiful colors! We again came across the Atkin’s here (I think they’re stalking us- just joking).

Abbey at Hawk's Head.

Vin and Leanne sharing a moment at Ross Graham Gorge!

 

We arrived to set up in the early afternoon, the kids being most excited as the park had free Wi-Fi (the things that kids care about)! On the way into town Fred had turned the wrong way, however it turned out to be fortuitous as he found some fisherman who had come in with some beautiful pink snapper for us to enjoy. Fred scaled it as Vin watched, not wanting to get his fingers dirty. We enjoyed the fish with some of our left over fresh vegies from Carnarvon. Don’t think we could be enjoying a meal as good as this at home. Only thing was that the weather came in and became rather cold and windy for all (oh we are so precious now!). 

Day 71 – 11^th September - Wednesday- Kalbarri

We woke to quite an overcast morning with a horrible wind to confront us. After some morning deliberation we decided we would brave it and go to the feeding of the pelicans. Unfortunately when we arrived, there was only brave pelican there to be fed, along with several annoying seagulls. Both of ours and the Atkin children got a chance to feed the pelican, with a second one eventually turning up once the show was almost over. A fun but very chilly experience this morning, however I think this is a sign of things to come.

Riley feeding the pelican!

 

We returned to finish our breakfast before lazing around for the rest of the morning. Although Fred, Vin, Paris and Riley ventured over to the local oval for a kick for an hour at about 11am. Leanne also came over for a short time to make sure they were doing it correctly!!!

After lunch we ventured to have a look at various points along the coast, initially Blue Holes and then Red Bluff (which was spectacular), then it was decided that the kids wanted no more of that so we took them to the Rainbow Jungle.

One of the beautiful wildlife birds that the kids saw.

 

The ladies and the kids went into there, whilst Vin and Fred decided to go to more lookout points along the coast. They went to Eagle Gorge, Natural Bridge, Island Rock and Grandstand, which were all quite spectacular, before returning to pick up the kids at Rainbow Jungle. The kids had enjoyed an entertaining time with the variety of birds there, particularly with Baz the Corella who performed a merry dance for them.

Island Rock and Natural Bridge (not unlike Great Ocean Rd).

We then returned to the campsite before deciding to have take-out pizza and pasta which we all shared together, it was a most enjoyable and relaxing evening.

Day 72 – 12^th September - Thursday- Kalbarri- Duncraig- Perth.

Today was going to be another long drive, deciding not to stop at Jurien Bay but instead going all the way to Perth. We did however decide on Cheryl’s recommendation to go to the Pinnacles on the way through.

We left about 9-15am (same time as the Atkin’s who stated they would be leaving at 7am- good work Fred). We’d done all the sightseeing along the route (around Kalbarri National Park) so we passed through everything until we arrived at Geraldton where we bought some petrol. It actually looked like quite a decent town with beautiful beaches, not to mention quite large and hence cheap petrol. Headed on from here along the coastal route, this was due to our desire to visit the Pinnacles, and to enjoy the seaside scenery.

The Pinnacles!
 Leanne showing off with her favourite one!!!

 

At about 2pm we arrived at the Pinnacles which were quite a sight to behold. It was great as it gave us the chance to get out of the car and walk around, as well as seeing these amazing creations. It was so bizarre to see these many forms of rock formations scattered amongst this little desert. Your driving along amongst green landscape one minute, only then to turn into the Pinnacles. All of us decided to have a photo at our favourite rocks, Leanne’s selection not leaving much to the imagination. Just as we were about to leave there we received a phone call from the Ellis’s who’d funnily enough just left there 10 minutes ago (we’d somehow just missed them).

Continued our travels before arriving at Cheryl and Marty’s at Duncraig around 4-30 before having a nice roast dinner, then a couple of relaxing drinks with Marty and David (the girls had gone out to a play- Cheryl, Lara and Phoebe), before a relatively nice early night for bed!

Day 73 – 13^th September - Friday- Duncraig-Perth

This morning was a relatively lazy morning, getting up and having breakfast before taking some time to decide what we were going to do for the day. Marty had to head off for an hour or so doing an errand, so the Snell’s and David headed to King’s Park. Wow, what an amazing place to go to; amazing features and amazing scenery as well, beautiful wild flowers, looking over the Swan River, great kid’s attractions as well. It seemed like we could spend the whole day here.

After spending a short time looking at the memorials at the park the Harris’s arrived. We then had a relaxing walk amongst the many different landscapes and scenery’s, before arriving at the DNA tower for everyone to let off some of their excess energy. Then we ventured to the Rio Tinto playground for kids; which were very different but good. It allowed the children to be children in a natural environment, climbing ropes and making cubby houses being some of their activities.

Abbey posing as a flowerpot girl!

Beautiful wildflowers at the botanical gardens.

Kids having fun with the Harris' kids at the ropes at King's Park.

 

It was now time to separate from the Harris’s who had some family activities to undertake. We found it hard to decide what to do, eventually deciding to head to Swan Valley to tour various places. First of all we had to head into Subiaco to get some lunch for the kids who were starving by this stage, even heading past the famous footy ground of Subiaco.

The first place we visited was Houghton’s where we tasted some nice wines and Leanne particularly liked the sparkling, so she purchased a case. Then to keep the kids happy we went to a chocolate factory called Whistlers, the kids (incl Vin) enjoyed the tasting here. We then went to another chocolate place called Margaret River Choc that was just a buzz of excitement with hundreds of people in there just trying out lots of chocolate. It was good tasting but just too expensive, so we had to just keep trying them!!! After so much chocolate we went next door to try some wine and jams, the jams were good but the wine was average. Finally Vin had his say and we went to a brewery called Elkers! It was based on German beers and we tried 3 beers, 2 were great and 1 Vin even gave back (that’s how bad it was). After this we headed back to Duncraig.

We decided the least we could do was treat the Harris’s to take our Chinese with us on the last night with them. It was a very nice meal with them, followed by a relaxing night chatting with Marty and Cheryl.

Today was a really fun day, in the morning with the Harris’s, and then it was particularly nice to have some of our own family time in the afternoon. We had a great time, thanks heaps Leanne, Abbey and Riley for making it such fun!!!

Day 74 – 14^th September – Saturday - Perth-Fremantle.

Woke to rain and wind, followed by more rain and wind!!! Unbelievable day, particularly as we’d experienced so little rain our whole holiday. Never mind we won’t let it dampen our spirits, well we’ll try. It’s pretty hard though, with crap weather and the thought of heading home; oh well just suck it up I say!

Thanks Harris' for having us!

 

After packing up in the morning in between rain spells, while the kids played and did painting with Cheryl, we headed off to Fremantle. We took it very slowly as it was bucketing down, deciding to take the slow coastal route so the weather might flow through by the time we need to set up the van. Eventually arriving about 1pm and getting just enough of a window with the weather to set up our van. Then it was time to head back to Freo to see what our friend Fred recommended, Little Creatures Brewery. It was bucketing down and 40 knot winds so what better place to be.

Little Creatures Brewery was quite a funky place to go, serving nice beer, having great settings, and funky dude (Tobe- Riley loved) waiters. We only stayed there for an hour, Fred and Sienna joining us for the last 15 minutes. It was a really nice experience. Left there for a short drive around the very picturesque Fremantle. There are some amazingly beautiful buildings there. Then we did some grocery shopping as we had left ourselves pretty empty by this stage.

After we arrived back we cooked dinner before heading to the games room as we’d hired the pool cues for some family games of pool. The girls winning 2 games to 1. The best thing was also watching the Blues go down to the Swans, as they’d beaten the Tigers the week before.

Day 75 – 15^th September – Sunday - Fremantle.

This morning was quite distressing as we woke to the realisation that we had to do something to fix the spring coming out of our van raisers. After speaking to the office and to other people around the park, also liaising with Marty from Perth, Leanne fortunately got speaking to this person in the laundry. His name was Ron and he was a very determined individual. It took about 2 hours for Vin and Ron to manoeuvre the spring and to temporarily fix the van (hopefully at least until we get home). We can at least wind it up and down without any hassle.

After that stressful morning we relaxed for an hour playing some basketball, our children’s first real attempt to practice whilst on holidays (no bball rings anywhere). We then ventured to the Fremantle Shops where we had a little look around. The streets were abuzz with thousands of people walking around, shopping and watching entertainers in the street. Riley wasn’t feeling fantastic, that was until Vin said he was going to watch the WAFL preliminary final. Riley perked up particularly because it was East Perth playing (Matthew Blackely- Blackas from Broome’s son plays for the Colts of East Perth).

By the time Vin and Riley  got to the footy it was half time and the Royals (E-Perth) was winning by 23 points. Claremont kicked the first couple of goals in the second half which made the difference only a goal, thus quite exciting. Fortunately the Royals went away with it after that, eventually winning by 63 points. We sat amongst the main Royal fans, several of them giving Riley many great laughs. Oh for local footy!!! Whilst the boys did this the girls went shopping at the market, returning with several gifts for our homecoming. Leanne met with the Atkin’s at the market  and so organised for a drink with them at the pub while waiting for the boys to return.

Riley at three quarter time after listening to the coaches address!

The boys met them there and we organised to go out for dinner at Pizza Bella Roma in Cappuccino Drive in Fremantle. We’d walked past there earlier in the day and noticed the beautiful looking pizzas. They didn’t disappoint, being a relaxing evening with delightful food and enjoyable company. We then returned to the park for bed time.

Day 76– 16^th September – Monday – Hyden (Wave Rock)- Kalgoorlie.

This morning the deliberation was whether to go to Wave Rock and stay there, or whether to continue all the way to Kalgoorlie. We left just after 9am and dropped in at the shops and servo before heading to Wave Rock. It was to be a 4 and a half hour drive or about a 7 and a half hour drive or 9 hours. The problem was we weren’t sure whether the road from Wave Rock to Kalgoorlie was a good enough road for us to travel on (Unsealed road- bad experiences before- Karijini).  We  fortunately found out later on that the road through was good enough to go on.

At Wave Rock we checked at the Information Centre to find out about the road, all good to travel on! We checked out the rock which was pretty amazing, the pictures on brochures were not telling a lie. There was also Hippo’s Yawn, the Humps and the Caves which were okay but not enough to have us stay there overnight. After about an hour and a half there we decided it was time to get going to Kalgoorlie via the unsealed road. Heading along the road Vin had to avoid several lizards, fortunately along the 110km road we only saw 1 other car on the road. We decided to stop part way along the road to tape up the vents of the van, hoping for no dust throughout the van.

We arrived at the park around 6-15pm, right on dark for only the second time. We quickly set up, noticing unfortunately that some dust had seeped through to the van (Vin’s pillow case was covered). Not too bad considering the amount of time we’d saved going through that road. Lovely chicken schnitzels were cooked up and we had an enjoyable family dinner before watching the X factor and going to bed.

The spectacular Wave Rock! 

 

Taping up the vents on the car- Better late than not at all!

 

 

 

Day 40-59 More of Broome- Karrijini to Exmouth to Kurrajong 11th August to 30th August

Day 40 – 11^th August - Sunday – Broome (Cable Beach)

Motivated by Michelle and Brit/ Fred Leanne and Vin both went for a run along the beautiful Cable Beach (our first sighting).  Upon returning we had a message from Blackas that he was going to take us out fishing and whale watching. We quickly got ourselves ready and headed on down to Gantheaume Point, however as we were pretty much there Blackas rang us as described how it was going to be too rough to head out there as the ocean was quite choppy. As we pulled up on the beach alongside them sitting having a beer in the boat whilst waiting, we could see that it was just going to be too hard.

Arriving on the beach to only see too many waves for Blackas little boat!

 We got going around the corner much to the girls satisfaction!

 Riley catching the first fish!

 Abbey with her first fish- although she doesn't seem too comfortable!

 Now with her second catch she seems much more comfortable.

 A very happy Vin, at last catching one- I think he's in love!

Leanne not quite as excited about her catch- poor Blackas had to hold it away from her.

 

Fortunately Blackas had alternate ideas taking us around to Town Beach /Roebuck Bay to go fishing amongst the Mangroves. Wow did we ever go fishing! Abbey caught 4 fish (catfish, cod), Riley caught 2, while Leanne and Vin caught 1 each. Unfortunately none were to size so we came back to shore empty handed, still having had an awesome day. The smile on the dials of everyone was easy to see! It was also amazing seeing the tide turn, this day it was an 8m tide (unheard of in Melbourne). On the way back in we could see islands that we couldn’t see on the way out! We returned just in time otherwise Blackas wouldn’t have been able to get his car in close enough to bring the boat in. After a great day out we dropped Blackas and his boat back home before heading to the caravan park where we noticed the arrival of the Beans. Now 4 St Louis families at the same venue!

Day 41 – 12^th August - Monday – Broome (Cable Beach)

Another energetic morning with Vin running with Fred and Leanne walking with Britt and Michelle. Then the grocery shopping had to be done. Listened to Blackas footy report on 102.9 Spirit FM where he mentioned Riley’s name on the radio (unfortunately Riley missed hearing it, which broke his heart- fortunately Blackas was later able to get a copy of the recording).

After the formalities of the day were done we headed down for the rest of the day at the beach – boogie boarding, before heading for a splash in the pool late in the day. Oh, so relaxing. I think I could handle it here for another week or two.

Day 42 – 13^th August - Tuesday – Broome (Cable Beach)

Another morning run by both Vin and Leanne, returning to a relaxing morning by the pool. It was recommended by Blackas if we were to go to any races Ladies Day (today) is the best to go to as the Broome Cup is too busy.

With all the ladies looking splendid, how Leanne liked to dress up for a change, and even the boys making some effort, we headed for the races. As it was ladies day all the men drove (the Bean’s didn’t come though!). Fred had some tips, so Peter, Fred and Vin went in for a syndicate. After an initial win, the money dried up, especially with all the bets the kids put on getting us no return. At the end of the day we caught up with Lea and Blackas who’d had a nice day in the Toyota marquee, living it up- oh how good it must be to be a local icon Blackas!!!

Michelle, Britt and Leanne looking gorgeous at the races!

Family looking spiffy at the races (ladies winning hands down on that front)!

 

We returned for dinner before catching up for drinks with Brit and Fred.

Day 43 – 14^th August - Wednesday – Broome (Cable Beach)

It was a time today to do some adventurous driving, to see what other areas around Broome have to offer. It was late morning before we departed, driving to Quondong and James Price Point, which were just nice isolated beaches. Being very isolated was not something we were prepared for, not having any lunch with us. Fortunately our travelling friends the Atkin’s, had extra resources in their car to get us fed.

On our return we went to the Willie Creek Pearl Farm Tour which we had booked for 2pm. We also met the Bean’s there, who’d also booked this tour. After browsing in the shop and finding out the ridiculous prices of some of the pearls, we headed to the rotunda for a presentation on how they create the pearls, and the different sorts of pearls.

It was a very interesting presentation, knowing how they retrieve the pearls from the oysters, and then how they then create the different shapes of pearls. At the end of the very informative presentation we were provided with coffee and damper cake (Oh Yum!!!). The next part of the tour was travelling on the boat through Willie Creek where they again demonstrated the retrieval of oysters from their stacks/ and they also had to clean and rotate them. Our final part of the tour was returning to the gift shop where Fred wore the most expensive pearls 40K, while Abbey wore a necklace worth 3K. Then of course the ladies all got into buying some pearls, fortunately Leanne and Abbey didn’t feel the urge to buy at this stage (Britt was spoilt though!).

Abbey with her expensive pearls- she wishes!!!

 Everybody enjoying themselves around the beautiful pool area!

Returned to the caravan park just in time for the kids to have a swim, before dinner and an early night to bed!

 

Day 44 – 15^th August - Thursday – Broome (Cable Beach)

Woke to another beautiful sunny Broome morning, the weather here is amazing! Amorning run on the agenda again, Leanne heading off for a run with Brit and Michelle and on her return Vin and Fred headed off for their run. Today we decided to book 2 extra nights at Cable Beach; this was for 2 main reasons: 1. we wanted to spend more time with Marty and Nic as they were arriving on Sunday (Vin’s brother) and secondly we were just loving Broome so much we just never want to leave!!!

More swimming on the agenda for the day and then we were heading off to the Blackas for dinner. Blackas son Mitch had caught several Mulaway and we were invited over to sample this freshly caught fish (thanks Mitch).

Mitch preparing our feast!!!

 

 

This was a real treat and the fish was cooked beautifully, yummy!!!! After dinner Riley helped Blackas write his pre match summary for round 21, which he does for the local fm radio station. Riley loved looking up all the stats and helping write this report which we could listen to tomorrow morning on the radio. Blackas also told Riley to ring the station during his segment on Friday to be the guest footy tipper in the radios footy competition.

Another enjoyable evening thanks to the great hospitality of Lea and Blackas.

 

Day 45 – 16^th August - Friday – Broome (Cable Beach)

Today was van and car servicing day, so we had to pack up the van first thing in the morning so Vin could take them both. We were homeless for the day! While Vin took the van and car to be serviced Riley, Abbey and Leanne sat at the site waiting for Blackas AFL segment on the radio at 9.20am. During his AFL summary Blackas mentioned both Abbey and Riley’s name on the radio when talking about the Saints and Tigers games. They thought it was special to hear their name on the radio! Also Riley was successful in phoning in and being selected as the guest tipper for the week. Riley had to compete against the radio celebrity, James Squire for tipping the most right for round 21. If Riley won he received a $100 meal voucher for Diver’s Tavern and a $10 TAB voucher. It was soooooo exciting hearing Riley speak on the radio, what a highlight this was for him! Riley only tipped one game different to the celebrity, which was the Doggies v Crows game. Go Doggies!!!!

After returning from dropping the car and van Vin looked after the children with Cam and the Beans. Whilst this was happening Leanne and Kim went off to shop till they dropped at the local shops. Vin, Cam and the kids went down to the beach for several hours, enjoying some good bogey boarding and body surfing before returning late in the afternoon for the kids to play in the pool. When the ladies eventually got back from their day out (they spurred each other on to greater heights- spending up big –HAPPY B’DAY DARLING!!!), Vin had to go and pick up the car and van before returning to reset up. Caught up again after dinner with the Beans!

Day 46 – 17^th August - Saturday – Broome (Cable Beach)

Slowly got moving this day, with the family heading to the local market, that is except for Riley who we dropped off at Blackas so he could watch Matt Stats on the computer with Lea. Vin and Leanne both had a Thai massage at the market before Leanne and Abbey spent up on some pearl necklaces there also. (Happy B’DAY Again Leanne)!!!.

Leanne loving some attention- Thai massage at market!

 

After the market we returned to pick up Riley from Blackas and unfortunately we stayed there for a while to watch the footy- The Tigers somehow losing to the Blues. We then returned to Cable Beach for the kids to enjoy an afternoon camel ride 3.30pm. All 4 St Louis families kids did the camels and then we all stayed on the beach after that for the beautiful Broome Sunset.

 Kids enjoying their camel ride and below some groovy dance moves at sunset!

Day 47 – 18^th August - Sunday – Broome (Cable Beach)

This day we again met up with the Blackas and Lea at Gantheaume Point  for another day out on the boat fishing and whale watching. Blackas took us straight out several km’s to try and find some whales. After a short time Blackas spotted a whale and calf, it was quite amazing to see, especially since the calf was actually breaching (giving us quite a show). We also saw on the trip several sea snakes, a turtle, and a shark (Abbey absolutely freaked!!!). We then focussed on fishing, except for Riley who was heavily focussed on keeping tabs on the footy score (between Bulldogs and Adelaide). Abbey caught the biggest fish(Sand Snapper), but Vin caught the catch of the day (Blue bone) which we were actually able to bring back to shore for eating. Abbey caught 3 this day, Daddy 2 and Mum 1. Oh yeah, Lea and Blackas caught 1 each as well- although the shark stole Blackas fish as he was reeling it back in!!!

 Riley and Blackas ready to chill out on the boat!

 Lea holding Abbey's first catch!

 Biggest catch of the day but not nice eating- 59cm- go Abbey!

 Most beautiful catch of the day (and nice eating)- Blue bone- well done Vin!!!

 Leanne enjoying herself too!

A very busy day out with boats as you can see by the beach- amazing!

 

As we returned to shore (Riley hadn’t checked the score for some time), where the doggies had been winning all day, his mood dampened when he noticed that Adelaide was suddenly up by 22 points late in the 3^rd quarter. We hopped in the car and listened as the Doggies made a remarkable comeback, overcoming the Crows by a couple of goals. Wow, the excitement was in the air- Riley had won $100- dinner voucher and $10- betting voucher.

My brother Marty and his partner Nic arrived this day so Marty came around to see us, and so I could take him to get some supplies. Upon returning I dropped him off as I was taking Leanne out for a dinner, organising that the Bean’s would look after our kids. The only thing was when the kids asked to wear something nice to go around there, Leanne was on to something going on. That of course was that I’d organised for the 4 ST Louis families and Marty/ Nic to join Leanne for a surprise  Birthday dinner at Zanders at Cable Beach.

 Birthday celebrations with everybody- Happy b'day Leanne!

 

It ended up still being somewhat of a surprise anyway, and a enjoyable night for Leanne. A really nice dinner- Leanne having the Trawler’s catch which fortunately was a favourite amongst everyone there. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal, which is always nice when you only treat yourselves occasionally!

Leanne’s first ever birthday in nice weather, not bad at 45. This would have to be among the top highlights of our trip thus far. What a great day- Happy B’Day again Leanne (this seems to be just a continuing theme- hope she doesn’t get use to this)!

Day 48 – 19^th August - Monday – Broome (Cable Beach)

Wow, now it actually is Leanne’s B’day- Happy B’day again my darling!!!

 

 

 

Noticeboard at the Cable Beach Caravan Park- well done Vin!!!

Said good bye to the Beans and Atkins who were moving on, the Bean’s having extended their time in Broome so they could be there for Leanne’s celebrations. That morning the kids caught up with Abbey and Lachy before Vin cooked up a b’day brunch of bacon and eggs- what more does she want!!!

We then went over to the Cable Beach Resort to catch up with Marty and Nic – relaxing, swimmimg, playing mini golf and table tennis, followed by afternoon drinks in the gazebos organised by Marty and Nic. Leanne received lots of b’day text and messages, and even some skype calls to make her day. We then had dinner at Caravan Park with Marty and Nic (pizza). It certainly was a memorable b’day for Leanne –  having warm weather, and her first b’day away from home! (NOT TO MENTION HER LONGEST EVER B’DAY CELEBRATION).

Day 49 – 20^th August - Tuesday – Broome (Cable Beach)

After having the last few days of celebration it was time to get back on the running track to justify those drinks we’d had! It so easy to exercise when the weather is like it is.

We then headed to the beach with other Abbey and family. The kids went to the pool upon return  with Abbey, Lachie and family while Vin and Leanne organised themselves for going out to dinner that night courtesy of Riley.

Typical scenes at the beautiful Cable Beach!

 

That evening we went to sunset-moonrise at Gantheuame Point with Marty and Nic. Had great fun taking lots of fun photos while seeing this amazing event (where the sun’s setting and the moon are rising at the same time). Quite an amazing place this is!

Abbey and Riley having fun at sunset!

 

Marty catching the rising moon in his stubby/beer!

Abbey performing and Riley stealing Vin's beer at sunset!

 

We then went out for dinner at the Diver’s Inn with Marty and Nic. Riley’s winnings paying for all our families’ dinner (sorry Marty and Nic). Although initially something happened with the voucher saying it had negative $50- on it- they honoured it though but poor Riley was a bit perplexed when it first happened. It certainly was a very nice setting at this restaurant and beautiful food to boot. A really relaxing and enjoyable dinner had by all (especially yummy ribs- Vin).

A very happy Riley with his dinner voucher and TAB betting voucher- well done mate!!!

Day 50 – 21^st August - Wednesday – Broome (Cable Beach)

A little bit of a wasted day this day, knowing we were leaving the next day and heading to Karijini National Park where you can’t purchase anything. We spent hours shopping and stocking up supplies. It was great for the children as they went with Marty and Nic for a swim at resort pool.

They returned late in the afternoon, just in time for us all (Marty and Nic inc) to go to the Stair Case to the Moon. We went to Kennedy’s Hill (next to the Mangrove Hotel), to watch this fascinating event. It certainly was a highlight, getting some good photos of this amazing event.

 The famous Staircase to the Moon in Broome!!! Awesome!

After this we went and bought some chips/ potato cakes/ dimmy for final catch up with the Blackas. They were also cooking up the Blue boned fish that Vin had caught. Mitch cooked it up for us and it certainly was a nice tasting fish. A fun and relaxing night was had by all, playing some Kelly pool, table tennis before saying goodbyes! This is where the fun ended, as the children particularly became quite sad saying goodbye to Blackas, Lea and Mitch. Thanks guys for the great memories- you created many special memories for our family!!!

 Vin being very proud of his catch- ready to eat all.

 Saying goodbye to the Blackas!!!

 Lea amd Abbey, and Riley and Blackas certainly formed an amazing bond!

 They both also had a great love for Mitch!!!

They also loved their time with Marty and Nic!!!

Day 51 – 22^nd August - Thursday – Bye Bye Broome- Karijini

Did well to have an early pack up, ready to go by 8-30am (wow- record!). Marty and Nic came to farewell us, which again made our children a bit sad!

We were ready for a long drive after being dormant for so long! Karijini we estimated would take about 10 hours, however we thought beiung team Snell we could do it quicker. We already had lunch packed and many little snacks to keep everybody happy. For some reason the kids were acting a little crazy in the car early on which was ok, as it kept them sane!

We had a a toilet stop somewhere and then a petrol stop in Port Headland (truck city). We still believed we could do it! There was a possibility that we’d stop at the roadhouse but once Vin get’s on a mission we knew we’d make it. We entered Karijini National Park right on dusk not knowing exactly how many km’s we had to go and which park we were going to. Leanne belatedly decided we would go to the Eco Retreat as it had showers (not so adventurous- worries about hygiene)! Unfortunately though we went the tough way there, driving 40km along the corrugated road- (I’m not quite sure how the van survived- well mostly survived)!

Fortunately upon arriving in the dark after having travelled an extra 40 mins than we needed on corrugated road, we managed to book in right near the Bean’s. This made it at least ok when we were setting up they cooked up some pasta for us (we already had the sauce!). A big day was had by all, we were all quite exhausted!

 Day 52 – 23^rd August - Friday- Karijini

After a fairly relaxed wake up we eventually started the day with a trip to Weano Gorge with the Bean’s. We started with a trek to the handrail pool. This trek was quite excruciating, with walks through waist level water as well as Cliffside rocks and finally down a handrail to a beautiful but cold gorge. The stupid of us (Cam and Vin) took the kids a little further down which was absolutely freezing but very scenic, while Leanne and Kim sunned themselves. We then had a steep climb back to the car park where we had lunch.

 Mummy performing again at the handrail pool!!!

The Snell's and Bean's relaxing in the Handrail Pool!!! (cold as)

 

After lunch we headed to the Kermit Pool, through another amazing gorge with descents down steep cliffs and ladders. We got to a stage in the gorge where the water level was going to be quite deep for the kids, so we relaxed cliffside admiring the beautiful scenery before heading back to the car park. We needed to return at a reasonable time to the Eco Retreat for the girls to get a warm shower before all the backpackers got back and use all the solar hot water.

 The gorge for the Kermit Pool- special!!!

Vin cooked up the Mulaway (fish) which he had brought frozen from the Blackas and shared it with the Bean’s (we wanted to not have smelly fish left in the fridge). It certainly was a hit amongst all, even Will enjoyed the fish! Fortunately we even had some left over for another night for Leanne and Vin.

Day 53 – 24^th August - Saturday- Karijini

Early morning departure for the Bean’s (8.30am- what a miracle!) Went to Dale’s Gorge area, where we decided to venture down to where we knew was the coldest pool- the circular pool. Beautiful area with an enjoyable walk and a freezing cold swim (except Mum), before we lazily returned to head in the car to Fortescue Falls (rather than do the 4km walk). We walked down to Fortescue Falls  (which were beautiful) and then walked on further to the Fern Pool. It certainly was a lot more comfortable water temperature with all of us getting in, even though there were a few fish hanging around the entry to the pool. It had a nice waterfall at the far end of the pool (so Vin ran back up to get the noodles), to make it easier for them to go out there. When he headed up to get them he met up with the Henry’s who also came down to the pool. We had a nice time swimming around in that pool for about an hour.

 Riley jumping into the Circular Pool (freezing)!

 Abbey and Riley getting ready to go in Circular Pool!

 Riley, Abbey and Leanne cruising along the Dale's Gorge!

 With the Henry's at Fern Pool!

The very picturesque Kalamina Gorge!!!

 

On the way back to the Eco centre Vin decided we had enough time to go and visit a couple more Gorges. Firstly was the Kalamina Gorge, which Vin believes was the most beautiful setting, quite like an amphitheatre. The funny thing when we arrived at this Gorge was that Leanne and Abbey were leading the trek there, only to be met by a man who was having a skinny dip (stark naked). Vin then took the lead ensuring that he had dressed himself before we headed around to look at this spectacular setting.

Finally on the way back to the Eco Retreat we dropped into Joffre Gorge lookout just to have a quick look at these spectacular falls. Thank God we decided to visit Karijini as it wasn’t initially on our things to do, but discussions with several other travellers encouraged us to take this detour. Probably even better than Litchfield and Kakadu in many ways! Although our van has taken a hit from the experience (get it fixed upon our return).

Day 54 – 25^th August - Sunday- Karijini- Exmouth

Left Karijini, took the park exit west out which was much kinder to our van, with only 10km’s of corrugation rather than 40km’s on the way in (Oh well). Stopped to get petrol in Paraburdoo which was very reasonably priced, we then travelled on to Nanutarra Roadhouse where we were victims to isolation and were ripped off for our lunch, paying $6-20 for a sausage roll and $7-20 for a pie/ pastie (found out later that many others had experienced the same)!!! For any future travellers be WARNED, don’t go there!!!

We arrived in Exmouth mid afternoon, leaving us enough time to set up while the kids had a swim, we did some washing and cleaned up somewhat after a lot of red dust from Karijini. It was quite a nice caravan park with our site being opposite the pool which was great for the kids.

Day 55 – 26^th August - Monday- Exmouth

In the morning the Ellis’s came over to say g’day after Vin had left them a note the previous evening. Leanne decided she needed to stay in Exmouth for another night to get completely deferalled. Found Exmouth to be somewhat a sterile place, however we did go and explore the lighthouse sanctuary, Jurabi Sanctuary Zone (great info about turtles in form of a poem for kids), North West Cape to see the surf beach and the shipwreck before looking at Bundegi beach. We then returned to the park (via shopping to restock before Kurrajong) and came back for a swim in the pool.

Abbey at the pool at Exmouth Caravan Park!

 

Day 56 – 27^th August - Tuesday- Exmouth- Kurrajong (Cape Range National Park).

We departed Exmouth for an easy hour drive to Kurrajong (4 nights without power- Leanne’s scared). We caught up with the Bean’s and Atkin’s, with the Atkin’s next door and the Bean’s at the other end of the park. Although we didn’t have power or showers it was a nicely set up park with clean toilet area.

We stayed at Kurrajong beach area for the rest of day- snorkelling, while Riley did some fishing with Cam. A most relaxing afternoon, with again beautiful weather conditions and great company. We then enjoyed the sunset with a couple of drinks at the table area before heading to Atkin’s for after dinner drinks.

 Mitch and Riley praying for a fish to come onto the rod!!

Enjoying sunset with many people from Kurrajong!

Day 57 – 28^th August - Wednesday- Kurrajong

Today we headed to Lakeside with the Atkin’s where the snorkelling was supposed to be great. It was quite a windy day but we soldiered on in the hope of some great snorkelling. We stopped at a nice shaded area and did some snorkelling, however it really didn’t seem as good as what it was built up to be. Fortunately a man cam walking from around the corner and we asked him how it was, he then explained to us that the good area for snorkelling was around the corner and it was sign posted.

Although we had to walk around into a very harsh windy area we went to the area he suggested, and Wow it didn’t disappoint. There was quite a strong drift, but after Vin, Fred, Abbey and Britt went out to check it out, everybody then went for a look (even Riley) as it was spectacular.  We spent the rest of the afternoon there and just as we were about to leave the Ellis’s arrived for a snorkel so we gave them the heads up and organised to catch up with them the next day. The day was magnificent with our best snorkelling yet (the amount of species was amazing). Abbey certainly doesn’t enjoy seeing the stingrays though.

 Snorkelling and swimming at Lakeside!

Headed back and had a relaxing evening with the Atkin’s back at Kurrajong.

Day 58 – 29^th August - Thursday- Kurrajong

The Ellis’s arrived early just as we were about to depart, so we headed to Sandi Beach with Ellis’s and ATkin’s. The beach area was okay for swimming, however the snorkelling wasn’t great as Vin and Corbin can attest as they ventured far and wide looking for it – giving Leanne and Julie heart attacks (especially when Vin came back on his own, as Corbin just kept going as he was a man on a mission). They even had the local management have 000 on standby. The weather was actually a bit cold this morning with even a few drops of rain for those people waiting on the beach.

After that eventful morning we went to Yardi Creek for a look, seeing quite a picturesque Gorge. That was a short visit, so the Ellis’s and ourselves headed back to Lakeside for another quality snorkel and this unbelievable area. We all went out snorkelling again before returning to Kurrajong for out last evening there with the Atkin’s.

Day 59 – 30^th August - Friday- Kurrajong

The Atkin’s left fairly early so we headed to Turqouise Bay. We headed to the easy drift area, again we were spoilt with some amazing sights, seeing many variances of fish. After doing several loops of that (Riley didn’t snorkel though), Vin decided to head around to the other side to do the more dangerous drift loop. He wasn’t disappointed too with viewing of even more amazing species, even seeing a amazingly large size turtle (oh so graceful).

This encouraged all the others to do the loop, unfortunately not finding the turtle again but seeing other things such as stingrays, fish like sword fish, Riley even venturing to do the loop and enjoying it. WOW it certainly is a hard decision as to which was our favourite snorkelling destination. We eventually left there, returning to the campsite for dinner, surviving a final day without power and water (solar shower was always a highlight with the neighbours). I told Leanne we’d survive!!!